Paper 2 Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is localisation of function?
Refers to the notion that different areas of the are associated with specific functions
- motor cortex - voluntary motor functions / movements
- somatosensory - responding to sensory events in differneces places in the body
- language centres
- discussing sperrys split brain research
Evaluation of localisation of function:
Supporting evidence phineas gage case study: personality change after rod through frontal cortex - frontal cortex is responsible for mood regulation
Case study limitation - unique case cant generalise to everyone from one individuals experience
Supporting evidence Tulving: PET scans, recalling semantic memories from left pre frontal cortex and episodic memories from right prefrontal cortex suggests different areas have different functions
Limitation of plasticity in brain recover: equipotentiality after brain damage is when the brain reorganises itself so that areas that are damaged get their function taken over by different areas, if localisation were tru this would be be possible
Sperrys study - small sample size - hard to generalise
Wundt AO1:
Established the first psychology lavatory in Germany. Has been considered the bringing of psychology as a distinct scientific discipline separate from philosophy
Used introspection which included pps reporting the thoughts and feelings and sensations in response to stimuli. He aimed to break down mental processes into basic elements, this is known as structuralism
Controlled conditions and standardised procedures allowed the procedures to be replicated in future research
Wundt AO3:
S:
Controlled environments and standardised procedures, scientific research features, scientific credibility, helps psychology gain scientific status
L:
Subjectivity, relied on self report so tehre is a lack of objectivity and therefore validity and accuracy of data, limited usefulness in generating general laws of behaviour
L:
Introspection is not suitable for studying complex mental processes like memory. Behaviourists later argue that psychology should focus on observable and measurable behaviour
S:
influence on later approaches
Influential in the developemnt of later approaches. For example cognitive approach that investigates internal mental processes but does so using more scientific method like scans
Why is schema useful in processing information?
Why might it not be useful?
Can help use predict what will happen in our world based on experiences
Can help us process information rapidly in larger quantities
Prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli
However
Can distortion our interpretation of sensory information
Lead to perceptual errors or inaccurate memories
Negative schema can effect mental health
Can cause biased recent of what we see and expect
What is displacement
A focus of a strong emotion expressed to a neutral or alternative object or person
Outline behaviourist approach, compare it to the biological approach
Outline:
Basic assumptions of approach are that behaviour is learnt, babies mind is a ‘blank state’
Explain classical conditioning and pavlov research.
Explain operant conditioning and skinners research
Comparisons:
Focus on environmental causes and experiences vs internal influences (nature vs nature)
Issue of determinism in both approaches
Issue of reductionism in both
Interactionist approach to treatments
Why can neurones only transmit information one way?
- there are only receptors for the neurotransmitter on the post synaptic membrane
- vesicles that carry neurotransmitter only present on presynaptic membrane
- the neurotransmitters travel by diffusion which only going in one direction high to low - only from pre to post
What does the fight or flight response cause?
(Very brief)
Causes adrenaline to be released from the adrenal gland which causes and increase in heart rate and breathing rate
What are exogenous zeitgebers?
External cues that influence/entrain biological rhythms
Light suppresses the production of melatonin from pineal gland which influences the sleep wake cycle
Evaluation of exogenous zeitgebers.
Supporting evidence:
Vetter
- 27 office workers were exposed to blue light and they adapted their circadian rhythms to it. A control group of office workers had normal office light and their rhythm was matched to natural light.
- shows that circadian rhythms can be entrained by light and artificial light can override the effects of natural light.
Evidnce of light over social cues:
- case study miles
- blind from birth and has a sleep wake cycle of 24.9 hours which is outer of synch form rest of society
- suggets that event it’s social cues, light is the main exogenous zeitgebers
Evidnce against:
-siffre cave studies found that when not in presence of natural light and clock his circadian rhythm changed to 25 hours which
-HOWEVER has been criticised for use of artificial light which could have had an effect on teh circadian rhythm
- csizler redid the study controlling r artificial light and found that circadian rhythms can be was 24 hours+ 10 mins which suggests SCN can regulate independently and maintain a regular cycle
Advantages of learning about exogenous zeitgebers:
- distruiped sleep can lead to distress and anxiety and decreased alertness so psychologically learning about it can help with the negative effects of jet lag and night shift work leading to helping the economy
- understanding other circadian rhythms such ad blood pressure can help health professionals know the timing of drug treatments which cna be helpful for r the NHS
oa
When is the mean the most appropriate to use?
No extreme values so distribution being skewed will not be a problem
Mean uses all data so is most representative
Interval data
What is a pilot study?
Small scale investigations conducted before actual research
They are used to identify there need to be any modifications to the design and whether the study makes sense / is feasible
What is qualitative data and what are its strengths?
Non numerical / descriptive data
It allows more detail
Researcher can develop deeper understanding
What are investigator effects?
When there is any unintentional influence of the researchers behaviour or characteristics on the participants behaviour and outcome
How is a content analysis conducted?
How can the reliability of a content analysis be conducted?
Identify categories or themes
Work through qualitative data and count the number of occurrences of each theme
Test - retest reliability:
Content analysis is repeated on second occasion using same interview data, compare the results of the two separate analysis, calculate correlation between the two ratings
Accept a correlation of around +0.8 between test and retest
Inter rater reliability:
A second person works with original researcher, read or collect data separately and agree on a set of categories and operationalised definitions. Tally the occurrences of categories separately. Compare tally charts looking for agreement. Calculate a correlation. Accept +0.8
Replicability as a feature of science
If a procedure is standardised it is easer to repeat it to assess the consistency/ reliability’s of findings
What is theory construction?
Important feature of science, it is a proposed explanation of behaviour using general laws of behaviour
To be scinftific it needs to gather evidence from direct observation using empirical methods
It should generate a testable hypothesis
What is hypothesis testing?
Should be possible to make clear predictions from the theory
Should be tested using objective, empirical methods. If hypothesis is supported theory will also be supported. If it is not supported theory may need to be adjusted
Why are controlled better than naturalistic observations?
Minimise extraneous variable
Easier to draw cause and effect relationships
Standardised procedures are more likley which means easier to replicate
What can inferential testing improve?
Enhance scientific credibility
All for researcher to see if differences are significant
Allow null hypothesis to be rejected
